THE new-look regime at Blues continues to take shape as we can today reveal Peter Pannu as one of Carson Yeung’s key personnel.

The 46-year-old, a British citizen, is to join Sammy Yu in the Blues chain of high command when Yeung’s takeover is complete next month.

Pannu will oversee financial and executive matters at St Andrew’s with Yu concentrating more on the football side, dealing with clubs and helping to negotiate transfers and contracts, in the way that Karren Brady did. Pannu is also currently sifting through the candidates for a chief executive officer – effectively a ‘new’ Brady, but with lesser powers – who will report to him and Yu.

He is ideally seeking someone with Premier League experience for the post, and hopes to present his top choice for Yeung’s approval within weeks.

As Grandtop International Holdings shareholders yesterday gave the thumbs-up to Yeung’s buy-out of Blues at an extraordinary general meeting, the Hong Kong tycoon’s camp are wasting no time in stamping their mark.

Pannu is a bright and engaging character with an interesting and colourful background.

He went to Hong Kong when it was still a British colony and worked in the Royal Hong Kong Police as a senior officer.

He served in organized crimes and anti-triad bureaus and series crimes squads.

After 1997, when Hong Kong reverted to China, he left the police and qualified as a barrister and practised law until Yeung persuaded him to take a major role in the forthcoming Blues hierarchy.

Pannu has known Yeung for more than 20 years and was also the legal consultant for his group of companies.

He speaks fluent Cantonese, Mandarin and other languages.

Pannu and Yu, Grandtop’s chief operations officer, met with chairman David Gold in London on Friday to agree, in principle, a new role for him at Blues.

Details on Gold’s exact brief and title are being kept under wraps.

The pair watched Blues’ defeat at home by Bolton Wanderers the next day before Yu returned to Hong Kong for the Grandtop extraordinary general meeting.

Yeung, through Grandtop, now has 86 per cent of Blues stock.

Shareholders have until October 6 to sell their shares, the day when the resignations of Brady, David Sullivan and Ralph Gold take effect.

Roger Bannister, Blues’ finance director, is also stepping down.

Bannister has served the Sullivan-Golds loyally over the years, first in a similar role at Sport Newspapers.

Yeung will head up the Blues board, and Vico Hui, Grandtop’s chief executive officer, will also become a director when the takeover is confirmed.